Metallica Seal the Deal With Volbeat During Electrifying New York City Show [Photos + Recap]

On a noticeably hot day for May, Metallica fans were ready to sweat as swarms of thousands packed into a new and improved NYCB Live’s Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island.

First up were the Danish metallers of Volbeat which included a hometown Queens fellow, guitarist Rob Caggiano. The band is touring in tour of their latest release Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie and began their set with the first song off of the album, “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown.” Frontman Michael Poulsen invoked the spirit of Johnny Cash as he provided plenty of swagger on “Sad Man’s Tongue” with a snippet of Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” Volbeat counted all of the smiling Metallica “a—holes in the room” as they ended the set with “Still Counting.” It was a special show for Poulsen, because he played the concert as a brand new dad.

Metallica are currently touring the States in support of their new album Hardwired…To Self-Destruct and kicked off their well over two hour set with new tracks “Hardwired” and “Atlas, Rise!” During “Now That We’re Dead,” giant drums were placed at the four corners of the stage for an all-inclusive drum solo with Lars Ulrich calling the shots.

For diehard fans some “Holy-s---“ moments included “Ride the Lightning,” “Harvester of Sorrow” and “The Four Horsemen” that delved into their early years. Singer James Hetfield casually says he’s just trying to keep things fresh when the band breaks out these gems. And when “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” hit, Metallica fans were thoroughly rocked especially after guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo’s blistering solos.

Anyone who was at the show in New Jersey a of couple days before might have noticed a very different setup than the one in the Coliseum. Not only was Avenged Sevenfold not on this stop (and won’t be back on this tour until June) but the stage itself was much smaller. It's diamond shaped, in the middle of the venue and it also had a video-screened stage floor and ceiling. This setup gave the band a full on 360 view of fans, which even after 36 years hasn’t gotten the least bit old for them.

Although there were many old-school fans, Hetfield gave a shout out to the many new fans who showed up including an 11-year-old boy with his mom in the snake pit up front. Fan-driven staples like “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Sad But True,” “Master of Puppets” and “Seek & Destroy” echoed throughout the venue.

Hetfield made it clear that being there, in the moment, with his Metallica family is a celebration of life. No matter what is going on in society, politically or personally when someone comes to a Metallica show they leave their troubles and worries at the door to just live in the moment.

The encore included another surprise for fans, as the foursome rocked through “Blackened” as well as “Nothing Else Matters” and their most well-known track “Enter Sandman” with a little pyro to set the mood.

When most fans go to see Metallica live they do live in the moment which is probably why they feel like a teenager again, including yours truly. But the truth is, the fun that the members have onstage is evident. While they might not feel like teenagers the next morning they certainly act like it onstage. “We still have another 36 years to go” said Hetfield, who’ll be damn near 90 in three and a half decades, and still making us feel young.

Hardwired
Atlas, Rise
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Ride the Lighting
The Unforgiven
Now That We’re Dead (with extended middle drum solo with all members of the band)
Moth Into Flame
Harvester of Sorrow
Welcome Home (Sanitarium) (followed by Kirk and Rob's solos including 'I Disappear' and 'Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)')
The Four Horsemen
Sad but True
One
Master of Puppets
Fade to Black
Seek & Destroy